Review of The Legend of Tarzan (2016) by Sean L — 21 Nov 2016

Peer at the lead character's name and a list of participating actors; it's basically just a game of connect the dots from there. Tarzan grows up amidst gorillas and swings on vines. Mean people shoot said gorillas, enslave natives and abduct Jane.

Christoph Waltz is a posh, narcissistic, delicate-but-lethal villain. Samuel L. Jackson is persistently incredulous as he shouts lines of comic relief. Many strapping, bare-chested men decorate the fringes of the screen.

Bellows are howled, trees are climbed, fires are set, vengeance is exacted, crocodiles are fed. Its most interesting scraps - Tarzan's means of communication with animals and his adult life as a reformed London citizen - are either forgotten until it's convenient for the plot or discarded completely.

Watchable but bland, The Legend of Tarzan goes through the required motions but lacks much in the way of spirit or innovation. Fine as popcorn fodder or something to blare while you're busy in the other room, but unworthy of undivided attention.